REGIONAL APPROACHES TO LOCAL FOOD ECONOMIES Presentation to the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

REGIONAL APPROACHES TO LOCAL FOOD ECONOMIES

Presentation to the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils

Emily Edmonds | CEFS – NCGT | October 6, 2016

NC GROWING TOGETHER

AT T H E C E N T E R F O R E N V I RO N M E N TA L FA R M I N G S YS T E M S

North Carolina Growing Together is a five-year USDA-funded project aiming to strengthen and expand local and regional food supply chains and to model this work for other geographies in the U.S.

Born and raised in Western North Carolina, I received an MPA from UNC- Chapel Hill’s School of Government and worked on a number of economic development & food systems projects across the East Coast. I grew up on farms, owned a farm-to-table restaurant, ran a regional food policy council, and generally adore food in all its forms. Especially cheeses. I currently live in the Triangle with my family, where I enjoy reading, traveling, and, of course, pulling for the Tarheels and the Green Bay Packers.

Farmer capacity

• Food safety, market channels,

production techniques, buyer connections

Supply chain expansion

• Wholesale and institutional partner

connections, infrastructure assessment and business feasibility

Producer & processor capacity

• Resource development for meat,

dairy, seafood, produce, and value- added products Supportive business environments

• Local government integration; small

business development and support for food-based entrepreneurs

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, under award no. 2013-68004-20363. Any opinions, findings, recommendations, or conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

INTEGRATING REGIONAL GOVERNANCE AND REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

As more local units of government become involved in food system development, regional structures become more necessary and relevant.

Local food systems need the unique skills, capacities, and abilities of regional planners, developers, and leaders:

• Regional coordination of projects and goal-setting
• Assistance with spatial and data-based analysis
• A deep knowledge of the communities served
• Awareness of the connections between and across communities
• Partnerships at multiple decision-making levels
• Knowledge of community input & feasibility processes
• Access to technologies and innovations
• Interaction with state and federal agencies

Food systems offer solutions to many significant social, cultural, and built environment issues that can help COGs better meet the needs of their communities. Food economies also offer economic benefits that are place-based, specific to natural, built, and human resources.

LOCAL FOOD ECONOMIES

Production

Land use, land protections, the business

• f farming

Suppliers’ suppliers Direct suppliers Farmers & producers

Storage & Processing

Cold storage, value- added food products, food manufacturing Food hubs/aggregation Cold storage units Processing centers Commercial kitchens

Distribution & Sales

Wholesale and retail supply chains, transportation channels, warehousing Trucking companies Grocery warehouses Sales teams

Consumption & Access

Wholesale, retail, direct- to-consumer sales, food security initiatives Restaurants Specialty markets Institutions CSAs/Farmers’ markets Grocery stores Food banks/pantries

Local Food Economy

Local food economies encompass everything that is associated with a local food system. This includes the entire food supply chain – from production to consumption – as well as affiliated businesses and structures.

REFERENCE GUIDE

• Agricultural Economic Development
• Encompasses financial and regulatory

structures that encourage farm success

• Includes policies that impact food

processors and other supply chain businesses, including transportation

• Aggregation
• Popular “food hub” and other ag center

function, pulling together smaller volumes of agricultural products into larger orders for wholesale markets

• Some food hubs serve additional purposes
• Food Access & Consumption
• Covers emergency and non-emergency food

access for people at all income levels

• Includes front-line food services like

pantries and kitchens

• Also includes topics like access to healthy

foods, food desert prevalence, and other factors

NATIONAL AG STATISTICS

NC ranks 8th in the nation for agricultural production. More than 17%

• f gross state product is contributed

by food, forest and fiber industries.

N.C. AG STATISTICS

So, what’s local?

Food systems are unique to the geographic, cultural, and market attributes of their regions. Local and regional governments are encouraged to create their own definitions of “local” foods for use in branding and marketing efforts.

• f American consumers prefer

food grown in the U.S.

from regional sources

13 million acres of farmland

needed to produce the minimum daily requirement of fruits and veggies in the US for US consumers by 2020

US Farmers’ markets have increased

350%

since 1994

2007

APA has included food systems in its planning policy guide since 2007; USDA has maintained farm-to-fork initiatives since 2000 Agriculture & agribusiness account for 1/6 of NC’s

income and employees.

Of all NC farms, almost 75% are family-

• wned small to medium-sized

businesses reporting less than $100,000 in farm revenue per year.

Total income in Agriculture and Food industries in NC is $84.5 billion (a14.6% share of NC income).

*Data sources are provided on the final slide.

NORTH CAROLINA’S FOOD ECONOMY

4.1 9.4 17.1 27.7 6.9 18.8

$84 billion in Agriculture, Food, and Forestry Industries (Sept. 2016)

Fiber Forestry Farming & production Food manufacturing Wholesaling Retailing

Data provided by Mike Walden, Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Extension Economist, N.C. State University, College

• f Agriculture and Life Sciences

*Data sources are provided on the final slide.

GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVES ON LOCAL FOOD ECONOMIES

Asset-Based Approaches to Local Food System Development

• Rural/urban community dialogue and

partnership: markets and values

• Opportunities for rural youth (the “brain

drain” problem)

• Land preservation and land use

strategies

• Emergency/crisis planning
• Regional economic development

strategies

• Economic impact of agriculture & food

entrepreneurship

• Revitalization of downtowns, vacant land, and

urban centers

• Agritourism
• Systems approach: private sector
• pportunities across multiple industries

Who farms next? Succession

• Average age of NC farmer: 59
• Average age of US farmer: 55

Prioritizing farm-conscious growth Land Loss

• 2016: 40 acres per hour
• Prime soils & water access

Regional impacts Economics

• Placemaking and authentic asset-based development
• Innovative, location-based strategies
• Resiliency of small- and mid-scale business networks
• Rural-urban market relationships

COLLABORATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON LOCAL FOOD ECONOMIES

Leveraging Collaboration for Successful Projects The development of local food economies relies

• n nontraditional partners and a regional

approach to infrastructure, transportation and land use.

PARTNERS

• Traditional partners (other local government staff,

councils of government)

• Ag partners (Extension Service, NCDA)
• Nontraditional partners (public health, transportation

& infrastructure, small business centers & workforce development, SWCDs)

• Community partners (food councils, nonprofits, faith-

based groups)

• Higher education partners (universities and

community colleges)

• Nonprofits & NGOs
• Social networks

Local Food Partners Citizens & Public Partners Ag Partners Schools and Higher Education Food Businesses Local and Regional Government Nonprofits & NGOs

REGIONAL STRATEGIES FOR FOOD SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

• Training and support for policy and planning efforts that recognize agriculture
• Zoning, setbacks, infrastructure allowances, signage, bona fide farm exemption, land

preservation incentives

• Community gardens, urban agriculture, and farmers’ markets

Land-Use Leadership

• Regional approach to agricultural economic development
• Market and supply analysis to determine transport and distribution routes, production

centers, consumption channels, etc.

• Regional goals for farmland protection plans & programs

Asset-Based Development Strategies

• Whole-systems approach to food & supply chains
• Infrastructure planning for supply chain expansion (particularly transportation, market

development, regional branding, and storage)

Strategic & Long-Range Planning

• Local food economies as a recruitment tool
• Local food economies as a creation, retention, and expansion tool
• Partnerships with educational institutions: business & entrepreneurship development

Regional Economic Planning

FOOD SYSTEMS PLANNING PROCESS

ASSESSMENT

• Data, GIS
• Food System Assessments
• Farmland inventory
• EQUITY

ECONOMICS

• Local gov purchasing
• Market analysis & support
• Agricultural economic development
• Business & entrepreneurship development

REGULATIONS

• Zoning updates
• Farmland

preservation plan

• Bona fide farms

COMMUNITY

• Food policy

councils

• Community

partners

• Bridging social

capital

MAKE IT LAST

• Comprehensive

plans are just the start

• Adopted

policies and programs

• Committed

funds

TAKING THE NEXT STEPS

• Download and verify the accuracy of the regional Local Food Supply Chain Infrastructure

Map. Use this data to identify food supply chain gaps and potential opportunities. Share those opportunities through economic development agencies, local investors and funding organizations, Cooperative Extension, and chambers of commerce.

• Survey managers and planners of constituent governments to determine training needs for

topics such as links between food access and health; zoning and development issues for agriculture; entrepreneurship development for food businesses; and other topics. Implement trainings in partnership with state universities and other agencies.

• Join the NC 10% Local Food Marketing Campaign and review procurement policies to determine

whether local purchasing is feasible within existing foodservice or catering budgets.

• Convene meetings of area and local extension agents with their city/county managers,

planners, tourism managers, and economic developers to discuss issues, hear ideas, and explore initial topics for prioritization.

• Start or join a food policy council. Regional COGs can provide structural support for councils that

work directly with local groups in each county or metro area.

• Explore adding an Agricultural Economic Development Plan to the CEDS or other

comprehensive plan. Examine ways that existing staff or proposed new hires could serve as agribusiness managers or agricultural economic developers in future years.

POTENTIAL CEFS-ARCOG PARTNERSHIPS

CEFS & NCGT can support pilot programs that capitalize on existing COG interest and activities, especially by helping councils to access existing data and knowledge as they get started. We are also open to future partnerships that help streamline planning across the state, leverage state and federal funding, and centralize approaches to agricultural and food entrepreneurship development.

• Key Initial Actions
• Identify key food and agriculture issues that are of high priority for the region
• Collect baseline data that informs these prioritized issues
• Utilize data to identify strategies to address priority issues
• Act as a Community of Practice (CoP) to share knowledge with one another and to identify

national, state, and local resources that can be leveraged to benefit regions & state

• Community Food Strategies
• Working with PTRC on regional “backbone” structure for food councils
• Open to other partnerships; can provide TA

Food system placemaking is on the leading edge of innovative, multi-disciplinary governance strategies. North Carolina has a chance to be a national leader in addressing agricultural & food-based economic development through regional planning and coordinated statewide efforts.

NCGT & CEFS: RESOURCES AND TOOLS

WWW.LOCALFOODECONOMIES.ORG

NATIONAL & STATE RESOURCES AND TOOLS

USDA’s Economic Impact of Local Foods T

• olkit

USDA’s Farm to Fork Resources American Planning Association Southern SAWG National Institutes of Health Food Environment Database (resources by county): http://www.ers.usda.gov/data- products/food-environment-atlas.aspx USDA Economic Impact of Local Foods T

• olkit:

www.localfoodeconomics.com NC Department of Agriculture www.ncagr.gov NC Cooperative Extension https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/local-county-center/

Comprehensive & Strategic Planning: Agricultural Economic Development Plans Example: Henderson County, Durham County Community Food System Assessments Example: Cape Fear COG Infrastructure/supply chain mapping analysis Example: LFI Map; Piedmont Triad Regional Council Regional agricultural economic development directors Examples: Durham, Henderson, Polk, Orange Regional support & coordination for food policy councils and/or food collaboratives See Community Food Strategies’ work with councils of government Business development & entrepreneurship Examples: Appalachian Farm School, Vance-Granville Ag Entrepreneurship Program, Piedmont Food & Ag Processing Center Zoning and land use strategies & policies Examples: Town of Matthews, City of Winston- Salem/Forsyth County

NORTH CAROLINA SUCCESS STORIES

QUESTIONS?

Data sources used in this presentation include:

• NC Agriculture & Agribusiness Statistics, NCSU, 2016:

https://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/news-center/wp- content/uploads/2016/05/2015_083-WaldenAgBusinessReport-051116.pdf

• USDA ERS & AMS, 2011-2016, citations from Community & Local

Government Guide to Developing Local Food Systems, CEFS, NCSU: https://cefs.ncsu.edu/resources/a-community-and-local-government-guide- to-developing-local-food-systems-in-north-carolina-2013/

• Growing Food Connections Policy Database, SUNY-Buffalo, 2016:

http://growingfoodconnections.org/tools-resources/policy- database/general-search-policy-database/

• UNC School of Government Local Food Resources:

https://www.sog.unc.edu/search/#!/search/local%20food

• Farmland Information Center, 2016: http://www.farmlandinfo.org/statistics
• APA Food Systems Planning Working Group:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3930672/profile

• National Farmland Trust, 2016: https://www.farmland.org/our-

work/areas-of-focus/farmland Special thanks to Donald Belk, AICP, N-Focus Planning; Erin Sullivan White, Community Food Lab,; Debbie Hamrick, NC Farm Bureau; and Jonathan Q. Morgan, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Government, UNC School of Government, for their time and expertise in assisting the Resilient Local Food Economies initiative.

www.localfoodeconomies.org www.ncgrowingtogether.org

Emily Edmonds, MPA NCGT Extension & Outreach Program Manager 828.399.0297 mobile | emily_edmonds@ncsu.edu

Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation – but the only ones she can call her own.

Samuel Johnson